Gravity fed dart magazine



July 25, 1950 H. RAFFEIS GRAVITY FED DART MAGAZINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 19, 1946 UUWVVi M/VENTGR HENRY RAFFE/s ATTORNEY July 25,1950 H. RAFFEIS GRAVITY FED DART MAGAZINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April19, 1946 It R //VVEN 7'0? (/ENA? y PAR E/5 6 g Ji ATTORNEY Patented July25, 1950 UNITED. STATES- PATENT OFFICE GRAVITY FED DART MAGAZINE HenryRaffeis, Huntington Park, Calif. Application, April 19, 1946, Serial No.663,578 2 Claims. (01. 124-49) The present invention relates toimprovements T in projectile propelling devices and deals moreparticularly with a magazine crossbow capable of rapidly projecting aseries of darts or similar projectiles toward a target; p

A general object of this invention is to provide a weapon generallysimilar in appearance and mode of operation to aconventional firearm,and to provide the weapon with a plurality of darts so arranged in amagazine'in the weapon that the string of a bow mounted thereon can berapidly engaged with the darts, successively, for successive propulsionof said darts from the weapon. v

Another object of the invention isto provide a weapon of the typereferred to which embodies novel means for arranging and aligning aplurality of darts whereby the string of a bow can read ily engage saiddartsfor successive propulsion thereof from the weapon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weapon for firing aplurality of darts successively, in which the next dart to be fired ispositively held by a trigger or releasing means and in which means areprovided for hooking the string of a bow to said dart of the releasingmeans, the stored energy of the bow becomes effective to propel saiddart from the weapon. 1

A further object of the invention is to provide a dart propelling weaponprovided with a storage compartment, preferably in the stock of theweapon, in which compartment a quantity of darts may be stored togetherwith cert'ain'adjuncts of the weapon, such as extra bow strings, wax forthe strings, etc.

My invention alsohas for its objects to'provi'de such means that arepositive'in operation,"convenient in use, easily installed in a'workingposition and easily disconnected therefrOmQ'economical of manufacture,relatively simple; and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinatiions and-arrangements of parts, which will more-fullyappear inthe course of the following description. However, the drawings merelyshow and the fol-" lowing description merely'describes 'one embodi mentof the present invention, which is given by' way of illustration orexample only.-

x In the drawings, like reference characters 'des-' ignate similar partsin the several'views.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partly broken, of a weapon embodying thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevationalview thereof; the front part ofthe'vweaponzbein'g broken'away.

whereby, upon actuation Fig. 3 is an enlarged end View of the stock ofthe weapon and shown partly open to expose a storage compartmentprovided in the stock.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, as taken through the center of Fig.3. f

Fig. 5 is a broken plan view of the weapon in greater detail.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal elevational view thereof, partly in section.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views, as taken on the lines 11. 88and 9-9 respectively, of Fig. 6.

Fig. 10 is an end view of the discharge end of the weapon.

Fig. 11. is a broken side elevational view of a block for drawing thebow string into dart engagement.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the head end of one of thedarts.

The dart-propelling weapon which is shown in the drawings comprises,generally, a stock I5, a magazine l6 for a plurality of darts IT, abarrel l8 through which the darts pass as they are being propelled fromthe magazine, a generally conventional bow I 9 mounted at anintermediate portion of the barrel, a manually slidable block 20 foreffecting hooking engagement of the string of said bow with the darts I!in the magazine, successively, trigger means 2| normally having 1 detentengagement with the darts and adapted fectively engage the darts and theto efiect release of the same for propulsion from the weapon by the bow,and means 22 in the magazine for efi'ecting rotational alignment of thedarts whereby the trigger means may efbow string may readily hook ontosaid darts.

The stock I5 and the housing 23 of the weapon, as shown, may be madeintegral. The stock is generally conventional inform and is made of woodor other suitable material.

A storage compartment 24 is formed by a metallic extension 25 and aplurality of holes or seats 26 formed in the end of the stock whereinthe darts l1 may be stored when the weapon is not in use. A

cover 21 is provided for the compartment, said cover, when closed,comprising the end of the stock and when swung'open on its pivot28,.giving access to the compartment. A latch 29 is provided fornormally'holding the cover closed.

6 By providing a partition 30 extending from the i a shaft 33 having afeathered end 34 and head end face 3| of the stock to the cover 21, whenclosed, an auxiliary compartment 32'is provided for housing extra bowstrings, string wax, etc.

i In the present instance, each dart l'l comprises 3 end or nose 35.Said nose is preferably somewhat pointed and formed as a metallic shellfitted to the shaft and held thereon as by punched tits 36. The nose isprovided with an opening 31 for engagement with the trigger means 2|. Atan intermediate portion of the shaft 33 and On the opposite side of thedart from the opening 31, there is provided a hooking notch 38 shaped toretain the: string ofithe bow [9. Between the notch 38= and thefeathered-end 34', and formed in the sides of the dart (with the hole 31facing down and the notch 38 facing up), a'pair of opposed flats 39 areprovided,,said flats being preferably outwardly sloped whereby they aretriangular in shape with their apioes directedrearwardly.

The magazine 16 is formed in the housing 23' and comprises a chamber 40extending-downwardly from the top of the housing. Said chambers lfihasabottom wall 41. uponv whichthe darts tl..r.est,. end walls. 42 and i3.spacedsomewhatgrcater them the. length .of a dart, and side walls i lispaced slightly more; than the diameter of a dart.

It. will. be evident that a plurality of dartsmay be placed in themagazine chamber dil. and that saiddarts will.,be..arrangedlongitudinally one above the other. Means are provided fortightly, yetreleasably holding the darts. As shown. said means comprises. aflatspringt hinged at G te permit access to the chamber 40 and adapted to bepositionedin overstanding relation to the darts to pres upon them when ahinged cover 61 is closed over the spring 45 and latched in place by aswing'dog 48.

As before pointed out, it is desired that the openings 3] and thenotches, 38 of the darts; be so positioned that the trigger means .2!and the string of bow 19, respectively. will surelyengage them.Accordingly; the side walls d4 of the magazine chamber are laterallyrecessed for a pair offlat spring; members 39" extending from top tobottom of said chamber and designed toengage the mentiloned' flats 39 ofthe darts. By placing the darts-into the-magazine in the mannerindicated, the spning members 49- will obviate their inadvertentrotation during downward movement of'the darts and assure properrelational positioning of the openings 31 and notches 38 The barrel I8comprises a forwardly extending member of wood-or other suitablematerial, secwred between the outer walls 53 of the magazine. Saidbarrel is formed with a longitudinal slot 5*!"so thatsaid barrel, ineffect, is bifurcated to form upper and lower'portions- 52-a-nd 53,respec-- tively. The lower barrel portion 53 is provided witlra groove54 co-extensi've with the slot 51. The slot 5!- terminates' at anintermediate portion-ofthe barrel and apassage 55 extends from saidendofthe slot through the end 5616f: the. weapon. The slot 51 and groove54;. and the passage 55 are cf's-uficient size to permit ready passageor a-- dart thereth-rough.

At the m'entioned end of the slot 51. there provided a pair-of'sideblocks 51*;therebythiclrening the barrel at that point. The bow I 9mounted a: seat=58z formedtransverselyin the top ofrfsaid'thickenedportion of the barrel. The: flexible wooden member 59 of the; bowis:fitted into saidseatiatrsuch anangle to bringthebow stringtll,whenizpulled into hooking engagee ment- .the notch ni of the lowermostdart. l I. A-swing dog 6 i used for holding the bow seated imposition;

The block 20 is arranged to slide on the mentioned lower portion 53 ofthe barrel l8 along a path from the blocks 5'! to an intermediateportion of the magazine. Said block is formed with a longitudinal groove62 loosely engaging said barrel portion 53, is provided with ahand-grasping portion 63 for efiecting movement of the block toward themagazine, and is formed with side finger-gripping recesses Git-foreffecting movement of said block away from the magazine. The upperportion of the block is provided with a pair of plates 65 directedtoward each other and operating. in the slot 5|. A notch 66 is providedin the block for engaging the bow string 60 by beveling the: adjacentportions of the plates 65 and theflblock end directed toward themagazine.

The trigger means 2| comprises a metal bar 6ft pivoted at anintermediate point at 93 to the bottom wall 4| of the jmagazine. Saidbottom Wallis. longitudinally. slottedv at 69. for the 'forward endittof bar, the-end of which is provided withadetent for engagement withthehole 31 of theloweHnost dart H. The rear end of the bar 6! is provided-withadownwardly curyed-enddi. comprising a finger trigger. A spring.set into the, stock, is arranged to press the. barrel sothatthe. detentH :is urged into the hole ot the dart. A tri gfirguard. Misprovided forthe. finger; trigger 12-.

The weapon istfn-vther preferably provided with a rear Sightlimearward-oi the magazine tfi and a irontsight i6 atrthe frontendof thebarrel.

After the magazine has been filled with-darts asillustrated, thebow-string 601 is engaged with the notch .Bfiof the block and with thestock of the weapon-against. theoshoulder, said block is pulled.rearwardly to; cause.- fiexing: oi? thebow I-9'. Thewblock-lismovedalong the barrel part 53-iintil the plates 65 pass on either side or and:between thestwo lowermostdants-asgseerr in Figs. 6 and 8. Continuedmovement of the block. 28 will bring the -bow string intoexact alignmentwith-the notch 38 ot. the lower ofsaid darts and said string.becomeshooked in-said notch upon return movement oi block: 20- toitsinitial position. By pressing-theflnger trigger lE; the detent H iswithdrawn from the/hole.- 3 1-of said dart and the stored energy in thebow becomes efiective to propel-said'dart' along: groove 5i and'out ofthe weapon through'passage-fi. It willbe obvious that the darts in themagazine Hi" can b discharged as rapidly as. the block 20 can be pumpedback and forth and that the weapon canflbe'. handledkin exactly the:same manner. as a repeating or pump gun is handled.

It. believed clear w-ithout further illustration that-resilientcushion=means may be interposed betweenzthe: wooden member 59 andtheseat 58 While Ifhave' illustrated and described what I nowregard as thepreferred embodiment of my invention; the ccmstruction is; of: course;subject. to modifications without departing from the spirit :andscopeatmy invention. I, therefore, (10111011 W iShetO restrict myself tothe-particular form ofrconstructi'om i'llustrated'and'; described; but,desire to auail myself: of all 'modifi'cations that may fall withirathescope of the. appended claims.

Having thus described my invention; what I" claim and'desire:tor-.secureby Letters Patentis:

1. In combination. a magazine, opposed: resili'ent elementsawithinthemagazineanda stack of dartsgini thgmaganinebetween said'resilient:

elements, .eachidart; oneopposita sides: of thebody thereafi; having afiat; face-terminating imam end:

shoulder, said flat faces of the darts being in lateral engagement withsaid resilient elements to thereby hold said darts against rotation inthe magazine, the darts, successively, being adapted to be withdrawnfrom the magazine and from between the resilient elements in a directionmoving the mentioned shoulders away from the resilient elements.

2. In combination, a stack of darts, each dart on the opposite sides ofthe body thereof, having a flat face terminating in an end shoulder; andopposed resilient members on each side of the stack and. having lateralengagement with the fiat faces of the darts to hold the samenonrotationally, the darts, successively, being adapted to be withdrawnfrom between the resilient elements in a direction moving the mentionedshoulders away from the resilient elements.

HENRY RAFFE'IS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Eger Feb. 20, 1883 Almond Feb.14, 1885 Benjamin Aug. 25, 1885 Griflith Apr. 13, 1909 Mentzer Aug. 24,-1926 Littlefield June 19, 1928 Bond July 17, 1928 Allen Feb. 24, 1931Sword Dec. 22, 1931 Conklin Dec. 18, 1934 Leonard June 11, 1935 ShirnSept. 7, 1937 Stopper May 3, 1949 Richards Oct. 11, 1949

